Jessie Pringle and Zach George, the 2015-2016 Kansas University student body president and vice president.

Jessie Pringle and Zach George, the 2015-2016 Kansas University student body president and vice president, want to use their positions to advocate for students on campus, but also to make sure student voices are heard beyond the hill as well.

Pringle, a senior from Chanute majoring in history, said her interest in political history in particular has helped her see how policies are important to everybody, whether they be at the local or state level. Pringle said she hopes to use her role as president to advocate for students when it comes to policies that affect their lives.

“I think being in student government is a really great opportunity to be able to mold your own experience, and to help other students mold their experience here at KU,” she said.

Pringle and George, of the Advance KU coalition, won Student Senate elections on the KU campus in April. During the campaign, Advance KU promoted three platform priorities: access, community and sustainability.

Pringle said when it comes to being part of the community, it’s important for students to be civically engaged, particularly when it comes to the Kansas Legislature. To that end, one of Pringle’s goals for the upcoming school year is to increase the student presence in the Statehouse.

“We are talking about state funding and polices that affect campus life,” Pringle said. “I think that when decisions are being made, they should be made with the knowledge of how students feel about policies.”

George, a senior from Ottawa, has similar goals, and also hopes to get students involved with city government. George said he thinks KU students are integral to the identity of the city, and he wants to make sure there is collaboration between the two.

“This year we are hoping to work with the city to make sure students are part of the conversation when it comes to city issues,” George said, noting the Ninth Street corridor project in East Lawrence as one such example.

For both Pringle and George, their senior year positions as student body president and vice president won’t be the end of their time in public service. Pringle, who after graduation from KU hopes to attend law school, said her end goal is to work in the public sector.

“I think I’m really driven by the desire to understand policy and how laws and government affect our everyday lives,” she said, noting she has a particular interest in higher education.

This year, Pringle is chairwoman of the Kansas Board of Regents Students’ Advisory Committee, the group of state university student body presidents that advises the board on formulation of policy decisions on student affairs and identifying student concerns.

George, who is double majoring in political science and public administration with a minor in public service, said he would like to work in the public service realm as well, but what that will look like is yet to be determined.

“I would like to work in some capacity where I feel like I’m causing positive impacts in the lives of people, and work toward bettering my community — whether that be at the federal, state or local level,” George said.